Taking Our Bearings: Mapping a Relationship Among Planning Practice, Theory, and Education

Abstract

The curriculum for graduate education in planning has been largely dictated by a conception of the planner's role as a technical advisor to decisionmakers. The rational planning model has shaped the construction of the core curriculum. Recent work by planning theorists suggests that the planner does more than simply provide technical advice, but serves to facilitate communications in critical ways. This article reports the results of a survey of senior planning professionals regarding the skills and competencies they seek in entry-level planners. The results provide strong support for communicative planning theories and suggest a recasting of traditional conceptions of what constitutes core graduate planning curricula.